


Gendrya Holiday Drabbles (Tumblr)

by babyitsbeautiful



Category: game of thrones
Genre: ALL THE FLUFF, F/M, Fluff, I had too many so had to move them over here, Mistletoe, Shenanigans, Tumblr, holiday drabbles, prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:42:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 15,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21698677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babyitsbeautiful/pseuds/babyitsbeautiful
Summary: Completed with a New Year's Eve 2019/2020 one-shot. ♥
Relationships: Arya Stark/Gendry Waters
Comments: 78
Kudos: 253





	1. “I guess… this is when we kiss?”

They’ve been best friends for years, and it’s only been recently that Gendry decided he was done with being just friends with Arya Stark. 

He needed more and he _knows_ she’s in the same boat and he knows that she refuses to make the first move into the unknown territory of transitioning their friendship into a relationship. And she calls _him_ stubborn.

This isn’t the first time she’s brought him home for Christmas, and it certainly won’t be the last. He’s bound and determined to leave this winter break with Arya has his best friend _and_ his girlfriend and he knows exactly how to do it. Or rather how to ease into making the first move. 

Mistletoe. 

It wasn’t always Gendry’s favorite Christmas pastime growing up, always getting stuck underneath the plant with an older lady that would pinch his cheek a little too hard before she laid a sloppy kiss over it or a an awkward teenage embrace that he’d rather not get caught in.

Either way, it’s sure to give him the excuse he needs to kiss Arya for the first time and bring up kissing her many times after, without said mistletoe hanging above their heads.

He hangs the shrub up just in the door frame of the Stark estate as he watches Arya and Rickon snowball fight outside, the smell of freshly baked cookies invade his nostrils as Sansa and her mother take them out of the oven just a few feet from the open doorway he stands in.

His arm falls just in time for Arya to notice him standing there, without actually noticing what’s above his head. She runs to him, cheeks flushed red from the cold and stands just beside him as he takes a deep breath, his heart beat increasing dramatically inside his chest. “Hey, why didn’t you come save me, Rick was kicking my ass.” 

He smiles down at her, “I uh..” Before he can say anything, or even do anything, Sansa’s voice rings out in the air between them, “Cookies are done!”

Arya’s face lights up and she’s off, dragging him towards the kitchen, eliciting a groan of annoyance escape his lips, but not her ears, “What, I know you like cookies, Baratheon.”

He laughs lightly, feeling the moment fade away, “Yeah, I do. It’s just… Never mind.”

***

After two more failed attempts to have Arya under the mistletoe long enough to bring it to her attention and kiss her, he holds the green in his pocket, waiting rather impatiently for his next chance.

While everyone is gathered in the living room ready to start another Christmas movie, Arya makes her way into the kitchen to refill a few glasses of Hot Chocolate, Gendry falling in step behind her. 

“You know with the amount of marshmallows Bran uses, I should just ask him if he wants more of them with a side of hot chocolate,” she laughs teasingly at her brother and the sound makes Gendry’s heart soar with adoration. 

_Fuck it, it’s now or never._

He pulls the shrub out of his pocket and holds it above his head as he stands next to Arya in the kitchen.

He watches her notice him from the corner of her eye and as her eyes trail from his feet to above his head, he doesn’t realize he’s holding his breath. It’s only when she smiles next to him does he begin to exhale slowly and find his voice,

_**“I guess… this is when we kiss?”** _

She closes the remaining distance between them as she wraps her arms around his waist and puts her weight on her toes to press her lips against his in a delicate, yet very warm kiss. 

His free arm pulls her against him as his lips tangle with hers, neither wanting to let go. He throws the mistletoe down onto the counter, letting his left arm encircle her closer to him as he uses both arms to lift her off the ground. 

Desperate for oxygen, he sets her down and releases his mouth from hers, already missing the taste of her lips on his, and rests his forehead against hers. 

Arya breaks the silence with a laugh, “Took you long enough. I’ve been waiting for that since the snowball fight.” 

Shit, so she did see. 

Realization dawns on him that she’s known his plan this whole time, “Did you think I was going to let our first kiss happen in front of the prying eyes of my family?” 

He grins and shakes his head, leaning back to look fully into her steely eyes without breaking his hold on her small frame. It’s then he sees that that didn’t exactly happen after all. 

“Hate to break it to you love, but…” Her eyes follows his and she looks back over her shoulder to see what caught his attention. 

The Stark clan, plus Theon poking their heads into the kitchen to watch the young couple, running away when Arya’s muderous gaze meets theirs, leaving them alone once again.

She laughs into his chest and he holds her even tighter, “Can we do that again, you know without that thing, for like, ever?” He nods to the green plant lying on the kitchen counter and she turns to face him again, kissing him with more fever this time.

“Absolutely.” 

They walk back into the living room, hand in hand as mutterings of _about time_ and _finally_ erupt around them, save for Rickon mumbling grumpily for his forgotten hot chocolate, to which Arya holds up her hand that’s holding Gendry’s and says, “Go get your own, I got my hands full.” 

They flop down on the sofa as Arya settles herself comfortably into his side as he uses a finger to steer her chin and lips towards his for another kiss. 

“Merry Christmas, Arya.”

“Merry Christmas, stupid.”


	2. "Wait, you're not going home for Christmas?"

She heard what he said, but she was finding a hard time believing him, _“ **Wait, you’re not going home for Christmas?** ” _

It’s all Gendry’s talked about for weeks, spending the holidays with his mom, diving in to all the traditions they shared together during his childhood, but now he’s not actually going. “Like I said, my mom won’t be there since she’s going on that cruise with her new boyfriend, said she’d make it up to me after the new year. I’m not very well going back to King’s Landing and spending it alone, so I’ll just stay here with Hot Pie. Maybe help him bake or something.” 

He shrugs as nonchalantly as he can but she can see the disappointment filled in his blue eyes and it makes her heart ache for him. 

No, he’s not spending Christmas alone (even if he is with Hot Pie) and wallowing in self pity while getting drunk on spike egg-nog and all the baked goods he can eat. 

She had planned on going home for Christmas, even if it was just going to be Sansa and Jon there, what with her parents travelling to Essos to visit her brothers studying abroad, but now she has a better idea. Perhaps she can make it up to her family, while Gendry is away with his mom during the beginning of the new year. 

It’s been the three of them in this apartment for as long as she can remember, just her, Hot Pie, and Gendry. Her second family, her pack. And she’ll do anything to make sure they have a good holiday, especially for Gendry, for reasons she’d rather not think about. Feelings and shit this time of year are bound to get her into trouble. 

After their conversation about holiday plans, Gendry wanders off to his room, presumably to lose himself in homework, that’s not even due yet. 

Hot pie is busy in the kitchen, baking away per usual when Arya corners him, that mischievously glint in her eye that he’s come to know so well, “No, Arry. Whatever it is you’re up to, leave me out of it.” 

She laughs softly so Gendry won’t hear, “Oh come on, it’s nothing bad. I have a few things I’m going to need your help with, that’s all.” 

He narrows his eyes suspiciously at her and then nods his head reluctantly. 

She makes a list of all of the old traditions that Gendry shared with his mom growing up, and despite the three of them staying in Storm’s End for their break, by New Year’s Eve, every single item on her list will be checked off and done with her two best friends.

If Gendry can’t go home for Christmas, she’ll bring a little piece of home to him. 


	3. “You’re perfectly welcome to kiss whomever you wa–”

She was furious, even though she knew she had no right to be. 

Arya saw red and her eyes stung with unshed tears at her best friend kissing another girl in the library on campus. It’s not like she wanted him to kiss her, or maybe it was. She’s harbored feelings for her best friend for as long as she can remember, but until now, she’s never seem him show feelings for anyone else before. 

She stalks off with heavy feet, fists balled up at her sides as she walks back out into the cold December air. She only gets a few hundred feet away before she hears someone breathing heavily behind her, seemingly struggling to catch up to her brisk, albeit angry pace. 

“Hey, I thought we were going to study, why’d you run off like that?” 

She really doesn’t want to be around him of all people right now, “You looked like you already had someone to study with, I didn’t want to interrupt.” 

He laughs beside her, keeping perfectly in sync with her every step which only serves to irritate her further, “What are you talking about… wait, you mean, Arienne?” 

She doesn’t stop, nor does she say anything else. 

Gendry laughs loudly, “You do realize we were standing under a mistletoe right?” 

She bites her tongue, hard. Of course, she missed that little part, but it doesn’t matter. She really hopes he can’t see the blush rise into her cheeks and the tips of her ears, and even if he does, she’ll just blame it on the cold anyway. 

Gendry stops her in her place with a firm grip on her arm, “Are you jealous?” His giving her that stupid grin of his and she hates him. Oh boy, does she hate him.

“What? No!” Her voice betrays her words at how high the tone is. Fuck. 

“I think you are.” He folds his arms across his chest, smug grin still firmly in place. 

She’s not backing down as she mirrors his defiant stance. 

“Well you’re wrong. **You’re perfectly welcome to kiss whomever you wa–”**

Her words are cut short by warm lips crushing against her own. It takes her brain a split second to catch up to what’s happening, Gendry is kissing her.

Her stupid, stubborn Gendry has his mouth on hers, and it feels so good. 

Her arms fall to her sides and as he wraps his own around her waist, she brings her hands up to hold his head to hers, keeping him in place as her mouth opens to let his tongue ravish hers fully.

She slides a hand down to his chest, breaking their contact, “Why are you kissing me right now?” 

The words slip out of her mouth before she realizes that she sounds like it’s something she doesn’t want to be happening. 

He smiles and it takes her breath away, “You just said I’m welcome to kiss whomever I want too. I want to kiss you.” 

She feels a hint of a smile betray her neutral expression, “Really?” 

“Yes, it’s only ever going to be you, Arya.” 

She’ll have to thank Arienne later for this unforeseen change the universe has struck upon them as she tugs at his hoodie, pulling his lips back down to hers indefinitely. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have three more numbers to do here soon, so keep sending them my way.


	4. “Seriously, I told you that you would get sick going out like that.”

Arya laughs as Gendry returns to their apartment still clad in his elf costume. An outfit consisting of hardly any clothing, a green shirt and shorts combo with red and white stripped stockings and red pointed elf shoes. He refused to where something underneath or even a jacket, saying that it would deflect the spirit of the costume.

Every year around Christmas, Gendry and his mom walk through flea bottom handing out blankets to the homeless, only this year her boyfriend decided to make it a little more festive and dress up as an elf, much to her amusement.

Although he looks utterly ridiculous in the get up, she has to admit how cute his spirit is. She certainly can’t hound him for that part, but she can, however, get on to him for something else.

He walks in and kicks off his shoes before making his way over to the couch for warmth, shivering and sneezing the whole way.

Arya jumps up off the couch in a flurry of limbs, “Oh no you don’t.”

Gendry gives her a confused look before another fit of sneezes shake his body.

 **“Seriously, I told you that you would get sick going out like that.”** She walks into the kitchen to pour him a cup of steaming coffee from the pot she just made for herself.

She hands him the mug which he accepts eagerly, “You could have at least worn matching fleece under the shirt, anything really to keep warm, you big oof.”

Gendry leans back into the couch, “I’ll remember that next time. The outfit wasn’t exactly the wisest decision.”

Arya looks at his clothing carefully, weighing the options in her head, “I don’t know, maybe we can put good use to it in other ways.” She adds a wink at the end for emphasis and maybe it’s from the cold his now has, but the redness in his cheeks heightens significantly.

“I may have an outfit to go with it too back home somewhere. Something similar to a certain _Mean Girls_ scene.”

She laughs as Gendry’s eyebrows raise in surprise, “And why are you just now telling me this?!”

Arya shrugs her shoulders as she settles into the chair opposite where he sits with his newfound cold, “Because it never seemed relevant until now.”

“Arya, my girlfriend wearing sexy Christmas lingerie will be relevant on all fronts for the rest of time.”


	5. “You know when you said, ‘Christmas Party,’ this isn’t what I was expecting.”

“I swear, no matter how many times we come to a Tyrell party or dinner, I’ll never get used to how big this freaking house is.” Gendry says as he climbs out of the driver’s side of his car, Arya making her way to him from the passenger side as the valet accepts his keys and drives away to park the car.

Arya opted for wearing a simple red sweater with dark green skinny jeans and black pumps. Gendry went for a more business casual look, wearing a black suited jacket and red under shirt, with dark jeans to match and damn does he look good.

They walk hand in hand up the grand staircase and stop short once inside the foyer, jaws slack at the view in front of them.

Gendry whispers to Arya next to him, **“You know when you said, ‘Christmas Party,’ this isn’t what I was expecting.”**

She picks her jaw up long enough to reply with only two words, “Me either.”

Normally when Margaery Tyrell hosts a Christmas Party, it has a certain theme to it, but this year when Sansa texted her the details, she didn’t include specifics, so she just assumed there wouldn’t be one this year. Stupid of her not to follow up on that tiny bit of pertinent information.

Across the ceiling is a giant red and green banner with the words, _Ho Ho Ho Down_ etched across it, accompanied by guests in red and green plaid, cut off jeans on women only found in the deepest parts of the south and cowboy boots. All the cowboy boots the upper half of Westeros, she’s sure, are in this very room and suddenly she feels quite overdressed.

And on top of that, there’s a mechanical bull in the center of the room decorated like Rudolph, which has her boyfriend rolling with laughter right beside her.

“This is exceeding any expectations I had for tonight.” Arya laughs too, because she can’t really think of anything else to do at the moment, the hilarity of it all just too much for her to handle.

As they collect themselves, her sister finds them and gasps audibly, “Arya, why aren’t you dressed for the theme?”

Arya glares at her sister because after all, this is all her fault, “Well dear sister, you kinda left that part out.”

Sansa cracks a smile, “Shit, I’m sorry Arya. Come on, I’m sure there’s something around here for the both of you to wear.”

After Sansa successfully finds them a change of clothes, Arya steps out of one of the upstairs bedrooms where Gendry is waiting for her in the hallway, away from the party crowd.

Normally, she wouldn’t be caught dead in an outfit such a this, a seriously over done cliché, but the way Gendry’s eyes dilate and stare at her with lust, has her changing her mind. Her red plaid shirt was too long and too big to be worn like it should, so her sister had her tight it in a bow just under her boobs, leaving her stomach bare and cleavage open for the prying eyes, blue jean short shorts and a pair of boots to, boot.

Gendry, on the other hand, looks like every other guy at the party, flannel, jeans and boots, but damn if he doesn’t pull that off too. She’s convinced he could look sexy even dressed as a fucking clown at this point.

She rolls her eyes at his gawking, grabbing him by the hand and dragging him downstairs, “Come on, I need a drink.”

After her second drink, she no longer cares about her outfit or the attention it brings, as long as she continues to have Gendry by her side.

While the rest of the party carries on without a hitch, Arya can’t seem to tear her focus from the hilariously failed attempts at the Rudolph bull riding.

Apparently, there are two different speeds, easy, or average, just for the fun of it and not the thrill, and then difficult. The difficult, resulting in a glowing of Rudolph’s nose if the rider can last the ten seconds, and much to Arya’s amusement, no one has yet to make the reindeer glow.

But she knows she can.

She feels Gendry’s eyes on her as he leans down to whisper in her ear, “I know that look, love. Now go knock their boots off.” He nips her earlobe with his teeth, and it makes her shiver and warm to the core.

She smiles as she makes her way through the large crowd of spectators gathered around the bull as an appropriate song begins to play throughout the house.

“ _Ain’t no one ride rodeo, ain’t got room for no heart breakers, giddy up, giddy up, go_.”

As the current rider falls off, landing on the cushioned mat on the floor, Arya whispers to the one controlling the bull, assuming the one who owns and brought the massive thing in, to let her ride on the difficult setting.

As the song blasts in her ears and her heart beats erratically in her chest, she climbs on easily, despite her short stature and places her hand and feet in the places they’re supposed to be to ride safely, leaving her right hand free to steady herself the way professional riders do.

She feels all eyes on her, but the only ones she cares about are the set of blue eyeing her from her former place at the open bar. She gives him a quick wink as she feels the bull slowly move, and then pick up it’s speed to match the expert setting she chose.

She leans her body with the motions easily, easier than she thought she could, and she knows how _sensual_ she looks, she can feel it with every thrust, every swing and arch of her back and it’s thrilling her in ways she never thought it would.

By the way people are countdown down from ten, she assumes she’s reached the peak of the level, going where no other rider has gone thus far.

She knows she’s at top speed, the same she’s watched just minutes before, but being on top of the thing, it’s almost as if she’s moving in slow motion and she’s loving every second of it.

She arches her back with every twist and turn, riding it smoothly, never faltering. It’s also more intimate than she thought something as silly as mechanical bull riding could be, but when the countdown is finished and she’s still holding on, her body is on fire and she needs to find her boyfriend, right now.

Claps and cheers ring out over the buzzer and the music as the motions stop and she climbs off, Rudolph’s nose bright and red for the first time that night.

She feels euphoric and knows as she makes her way back to Gendry across the room, he’s probably on the envious end of every man there, which causes her need for him to grow even more. He grabs her by the waist and lifts her off the ground in a congratulatory hug, but she knows better, “That was incredible, and so fucking _hot_.”

Still in his arms, she whispers for only him to hear, “That’s not the only bull I’m riding tonight, follow me.”

He sets her down and the look in his eyes almost makes her come undone right then and there. Slowly, the crowd falls back to its normal volume and people pay them no mind as she grabs his hands, leading him through the drunken party goers and back upstairs where the empty bedrooms await.

She pushes him back into the same room they changed clothes in and slams the door behind her, before pushing him back against it.

As they strip each other of the rodeo costumes Sansa insisted they wear, Gendry just can’t help himself, “Best Christmas party ever! And I’m taking this outfit of yours back home with us.”

Once she has him completely naked, she settles herself on top of him and begins to ride him much the same way she did downstairs moments ago as his head falls back onto the pillow and they both release a loud moan of pleasure.

This, _her bull_ , could never compare.


	6. “This is not for holiday cheer. This is blackmail.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is combined with, “Where’s all your holiday spirit, you Scrooge?” since my brain didn't want to separate the two.

“Come on, Gendry! We’re gonna be late if your ass doesn’t get out here right now!”

Arya waits impatiently for her boyfriend to be finished putting on his elf costume for the Christmas Party her office is throwing for it’s employees and significant other, to which Arya excitedly told Gendry they needed to dress up for, which on the email was highly suggested but not mandatory.

She looks up in time to find Gendry scowling as he appears from their bedroom clad in the elf costume, she picked out for him, with hers to match.

The bell on the end of her hand tings as she shakes her head in a small fit of laughter at how adorable and dorky, he looks.

While he agreed to dress in whatever she wanted him to, like her could ever tell her no, she excepted as much for him to not exactly be keen on the attention he’s sure to get.

**“Where’s all your holiday spirit, you Scrooge?”** She waves her hands in the air in an attempt to get him to loosen up to the idea of wearing the costume, if only for this one night.

**“This is not for holiday cheer. This is blackmail.”** He waves his hands from his head, all the way to his pointy belled elf shoes.

“Oh, lighten up will you, it’s only for one night anyway.” She closes the distance between them and wraps her arms around his waist, “I’m practically wearing the same thing.”

He pulls her body flush against his and gives her a half smile, “No, you look cute as hell, I look ridiculous.”

“You do not, you look like the strongest elf at the North Pole.” She rubs her hand over the muscles straining under the peppermint colored undershirt he’s wearing.

Arya thinks he might have a point as she examines his clothing further, noticing she may have gotten a size too small, making him look more like a giant elf in children’s clothing, rather than an actual normal sized elf.

“Where’s your hat?” She looks around the room to see if he may have misplaced it when he answer’s her question, “It didn’t fit.”

Now, she can’t hide her laughter and it makes her feel a little better about the whole situation, when he joins in on the amusement.

“Okay, maybe I fucked this up just a little, but it’ll be fine, everyone will be too drunk to remember anything that happens tonight anyway.”

They make their way over to the door, Arya stopping just before grabbing the knob, “Would it make you feel better if I told you I wasn’t wearing any underwear under this skirt and I was willing to let you fuck me over my desk?”

She shivers as Gendry’s hand finds its way under the fabric, roaming over her bare ass before squeezing appreciatively.

“Yes, yes it would.”


	7. “I’m a grown adult, I don’t want to take a picture with Santa Claus.”

Her feet were killing her on top of her arms that were aching from carrying around all the bags of stuff she bought while Christmas shopping with Sansa at the mall.

She’s has to hand it to her sister though, if it weren’t for her shopping skills and time maintenance, there was no way she’d have been able to get everything she needed today otherwise.

Leave it to Arya to wait until the last possible minute to get all her gifts on her list, apart from Sansa’s since she can’t very well get it for her while they’re together.

Taking a break from the madness that is the mall two days before Christmas, they’re enjoying hot chocolate in a café near where a small makeshift North Pole is set up for taking pictures with Santa.

“You know, you could probably pass for a child if you wanted the discount price for a picture with good ‘ol St. Nick.” She mocks her sister under her cup, sipping softly on the warm beverage.

Arya in return glares back, **“I’m a grown adult, I don’t want to take a picture with Santa Claus.”**

Sansa giggles audibly, “You used to love it when we were kids. Up until you were traumatized after accidentally pulling off his fake beard. You cried the entire ride home.”

Arya’s eyes widen and she grins, “Only because Robb dared me to. He knew he wasn’t real, and I wouldn’t back down from a dare.”

“I think mum grounded him until Valentine’s Day.”

They’re still laughing when they grab their bags and make their way past the impromptu North Pole, staff alike breaking down the equipment from the last picture of the day.

She curses aloud when Sansa stops abruptly in front of her, forcing her to collide with her back and drop half her bags, “What the hell, Sans?”

She looks up to find her sister smirking at her mischievously, “I think you’re going to want to rethink that whole, ‘I’m too old for Santa’ charade, look.” Arya’s gaze turns to where Sansa is pointing at the Santa Claus still sitting down with the last child in line, a little boy’s face shining as he tells him what he would like for Christmas this year.

Her jaw goes slack.

Gendry Waters is dressed as the mall Santa in Winterfell. Jon’s best friend from high school she had the biggest crush on, all the way until she left for Braavos and lost touch, not having seen him in four years.

As the little boy and his mother depart, she watches as Sansa makes her way over to the only other staff left, an older woman dressed as an elf and whisper something in her ear, to which then she stalks off with a smile as Sansa nods her head subtly in Gendry’s direction, assumingly for her to make her move and get his attention while he’s alone.

She rolls her eyes at her sister as she quietly walks over to where he’s sitting, attention square on the phone in his hand, “Does Santa have time for one more Christmas wish?”

He looks up then, eyebrows scrunched in confusion at why an adult without a child would be asking him that when recognition dawns on him, “Arry?”

She smiles shyly and nods her head in confirmation and then blushes profusely when he motions for her to come over and sit in his lap, because of course he would.

She obliges and then shivers when his white gloved hand rests on her back to keep her steady, “When did you get back to Westeros? It’s been what, four years?”

She keeps her left hand in her lap while her right rests on his shoulders, “I got back over the summer, I’m going to King’s Landing to get my master’s.”

She sees him smile under the fake beard, and damn, have his eyes always been that blue?

“What about you?”

“I’m living down in Storm’s End now, have my own shop.”

She knew he liked working on cars, but also fixing stuff too, weapons and such, seems appropriate he would make a career out of it. As she watches him talk about his life since they last saw each other, she can’t help but to wonder if he’s seeing anyone and prays to all the Gods he’s not.

She thinks he’s caught her staring, when he clears his throat and says, “So can I tell you what this old Santa Claus thinks you need for Christmas this year?”

She smiles when she catches the way his blue eyes are bright and full of hope and she wonders if he thought the same of her relationship status, “Do tell. I’ve been very good this year after all.”

“You, Ms. Arya Stark needs a night out and a drink with this old geezer, once he’s retired from mall duties for the night. Does that sound accurate?”

She pretends to fall back a little and laughs when he’s forced to hold on to her tighter, “I think that sounds perfect.”


	8. "Just open the damn present."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I got carried away with this one from @whatmakesmebleed. She wanted three and I threw in an anon's too of 'unexpectedly spending the holidays together'. So this is more like a one shot at 3.6k words.

Arya watches as Gendry walks through the door, slumped shoulders telling her he isn’t in the best of moods. She supposes he doesn’t know she’s home, taking up space across the couch with her sketch pad in her lap, but when he comes in from the kitchen with two beers in hand, she knows she’s been spotted.

She removes her legs from the opposite end of the couch and grabs the beer from his hand as he falls down beside her with a heavy sigh.

“What’s got you so down?”

He sips his drink before responding, “I’m almost positive I tanked my final exam.”

She rolls her eyes for two reasons, the first and always relevant reason being his stupidity, and the second is because that’s his response after every test for as long as she’s known him, and every time he’s wrong and they both know it, therefore she has no reason to help him dwell on that statement. 

“Well at least it was your last one of the semester, and your holiday break has officially begun,” she says matter-of-factly before raising her bottle in a toast of celebration, to which he obliges with a smile.

She takes a drink and then sets her bottle on the coffee table to get back to her drawing, “Are you the only one home?”

She thinks back to when their other roommates left this morning after Gendry did, “Yeah, Hot Pie already left to go see his family and Shireen is at the library studying for her exam, didn’t say when she’d be home.”

Arya couldn’t have had a better living situation for her second year at uni after she outgrew the dorms on campus, living in a four bedroom with her best friends, girls on one side and the guys on the other.

Even if she is a little bit in love with one of them.

Gendry sighs and leans back into the couch, “When are you leaving for Winterfell?”

Arya keeps her eyes focused on the task at hand, “Train leaves out tomorrow morning.”

When Gendry sighs again, she takes the chance to look over at him, his face a distinct contortion of loneliness.

“Any suggestions of things to do around here this week?”

Now that surprises her, “I thought you were going to Dorne for the holidays with _what’s her face_?”

Gendry gives her a smug smirk, followed by a frown, “Her name is Jade, and we broke up last week.”

She doesn’t want her happiness for that to show in her expression, so she tries with all her might to keep her face neutral, “Oh, sorry about that.”

She wasn’t.

“Why’d you break up?” She couldn’t help but ask, they’d been together for a few months now and she thought they seemed happy enough, much to her distain.

He looks away and blushes slightly, “I don’t really want to talk about it right now.”

He plays with the label on his bottle and she kicks herself internally for how cute she thinks he is when he’s upset about something, and no matter how much she likes the fact he’s single again, she doesn’t like the fact that he’s a little bit heart-broken.

The words pour out of her mouth before she has a chance to think about it or the implications behind them, “Come home with me.”

She supposes the surprised look on his face matches her own right about now, “I uh, I just mean you can come to Winterfell if you wanted. I know Jon and Robb miss you and would love to catch up, and everyone always thought you were part of the family anyways, so it wouldn’t be weird or anything to have you around this week.”

He seems to relax a little after her explanation, but she’s still panicking on the inside. Having Gendry in her childhood home for the first time since she realized she’s been in love with him for like ever would be so weird, but she doesn’t take back the offer and really hopes he accepts.

His face scrunches while thinking about her proposal, a little too hard by the looks of it, but after a moment of pause, he agrees politely.

Which is how she ends up on a train to Winterfell with her best friend that she’s madly in love with, three days before Christmas.

She doesn’t tell anyone back home she’s bringing Gendry with her; she _knows_ what kind of conclusions they’ll come up with and she’d rather deflect those in person rather than be rude on the phone by faking another call and ultimately hanging up on them.

Which is also why she asks Jon to pick her up from the train station, knowing he’ll be so overwhelmed with Gendry being with her, he won’t have the capacity to form any theories of his own, solely focused on having his best friend back in town. Even though Arya had him first, Jon seems to love teasing her over best friend rights.

The reunion goes as she excepts, Jon’s face says it all when he sees Gendry walk over to his car with Arya and after several minutes of _manly_ hugs, as Jon likes to call them, and talk over things Arya knows nothing about, they’re finally in the car and on the way home.

***

She manages to dodge any questions about her bringing a boy home for Christmas from the prying eyes of her family on the first day, and by the next morning she’s reveling at being home with her family and her best friend, and the smile that radiates off his face when she joins him and Jon in the kitchen for morning coffee makes her undoubtably sure that she made the right decision in asking him to join her for the holiday break.

He’s leaning against the counter by the coffee machine when she walks slowly over to it, now fully aware of how his blue eyes sparkle in the soft morning light.

_Get a grip, will you, he’s your roommate, you’ve seen him dozens of times like this_ , she thinks to herself as she reaches for the pot, not realizing he had the same idea, “Here let me,” he says as their hands meet on the handle, sending a jolt of electricity through her entire body, and holy shit, when did _that_ start happening. Having him home with her is affecting her in ways she never thought possible and the feelings associated with it are like none she’s ever felt before. She’s so in love with him it hurts, but in the best way imaginable.

“Sorry,” he says as he jerks his hand back away from hers, a light pink flushed on his cheeks.

“It’s fine,” she gives him a small smile and avoids his gaze as she pours her a large cup.

He clears his throat and goes back to focusing on the others in the room, “Jon was just about to tell me about the annual hockey game today before the Christmas party tonight.”

She gives her brother a bright smile, “We started it right after Rickon hit his teenage years, and growth spurt. Everyone plays except my mum, even Sansa. She gets real into it too.”

“Really?” Gendry chuckles under his breath, the thought of the eldest daughter preforming any physical sport a wild concept to him, and most others.

“Yeah, it’s fierce competition out there on the ice. We don’t take any shit. We play like men.”

Jon laughs at his sister’s comments, “It’s true mate, Arya loves the violence more than any of us. Out there, it’s every man for themselves.”

Arya doesn’t miss a beat, “And if you play, we’ll have even teams. We were worried one of us would be put out since Theon isn’t here this year. He went home to be with his sister since this is the first Christmas since their dad died.”

Robb joins them then, having heard the end of the conversation, “Next year he should just bring Yara with him, up the stakes a little.”

Rickon trails along behind him, “Agreed. But as long as I’m on her team.”

“Why? Are you afraid of getting your ass kicked by another Greyjoy?” Jon laughs at the littlest Stark.

“Hell no, that way I know I’m on the winning team!”

They all laugh before sitting in content silence for a few minutes, Ghost and Nymeria breaking it as soon as they’re let inside from their morning walk with Bran and Sansa.

Sansa walks in and scowls her eldest and youngest brothers immediately, “Why aren’t you dressed yet? If you’re not ready in ten minutes, I’m going to the mall without you both!”

“Fine, fine, we’re going.” Robb and Rickon shuffle off upstairs to get ready for shopping with Sansa and Bran, leaving Arya alone with Gendry and Jon for the day before the hockey game that afternoon.

They opt to save their energy for the game later, spending the day lounging around watching movies and eating leftovers from their family dinner the night before.

Arya’s itching to release some of that energy by the time the afternoon rolls around and they’re all busy getting ready for the game. She’s the first on the ice, followed by Gendry, in Theon’s gear, that is extremely small on him, causing Arya to cackle loudly on the frozen lake outside her childhood home.

“Okay, I get it, get it all out now, but you won’t be laughing when I kick your ass all over this ice, Stark.”

That sobers her up, and the smirk on his face makes her melt, despite the chilling cold air surrounding them.

She skates over to him until they’re only inches apart, enough to feel the heat from each other’s bodies, “Oh, is that so?”

She bites her bottom lip as he grins down at her, “It’s a known fact.”

Sounds of others joining them force the two to break apart quickly, before her brothers realize they were just interrupting an intense round of flirting.

Once everyone is out on the ice, they split up into teams, with Arya making sure her and Gendry are on opposite sides. For multiple reasons, including should things turn _physical_ , well she wants to engage with Gendry without arousing suspicion from her nosey family.

Although a huge part of her knows Gendry would never get truly violent with her, no matter the circumstances, and she knows that even though they’re on opposite teams, he’ll be her shield no matter what. And if she gets to tackle him or knock him off his game a little, _literally_ , she’ll take the opportunity the first chance she gets.

This is going to be fun.

***

If someone had told Gendry Waters a week ago or even yesterday, that he’d be spending the holidays in Winterfell with two of his best friends, he’d laugh in their face. He hasn’t been in Winterfell in years, and the thought of ever being there for Christmas, such an intimate time with a family that wasn’t exactly his, shook him to the core. But Arya looked so sincere in her question, all other thoughts flew out of his mind, the only one left was spending Christmas with the woman he loved, even if her protective older brothers were around to kick him in the ass if they ever found out he had feelings for their baby sister.

She is and will always be well worth that risk.

He’s not used to the depths of Winterfell’s winters, but with Arya this close to him outside on the makeshift hockey rink, he’s never felt warmer. More so with the way she’s knocking people over left and right in an effort to score a goal.

She’s teamed up with Jon, Rickon, and their dad, leaving him with Bran, Robb and Sansa.

With the game tied one to one, things are starting to heat up and tempers intensifying. He’s been put in as goalie and watches as Arya keeps control over the puck as Sansa tries to steal, aiming for a shove to her little sister which Arya deflects easily with her short stature, turning the tables on Sansa by tripping her up, sending her flying to the ground as she skates past.

“You fucker,” Sansa yells with a laugh as Arya skates her way towards him, a devilish look in her grey eyes.

He braces himself to block her shot, but what he doesn’t except is for her to use her whole body to do it.

She plows into him with so much force it knocks both of them to the ground, her landing on top of him as the puck goes in behind him, “So who is kicking who’s ass again?”

She says from atop him, her face impossibly close to his. He vaguely hears groans and cheers around them but all he can focus on is the woman laying on top of him and then the cold he feels when she’s suddenly not.

The rest of the game flies by and they almost make it to the end without any incidents, almost.

With just a minute to go, his team is down by one when Robb tries to get one past Rickon, to no avail and soon fists are flying, and the boys are on the ground in a flurry of limbs.

While Ned plays referee, the others fall into position, an unspoken rule in hockey not to invade in an ongoing fight, team up with the nearest member of the opposite team, keeping them close and out of the way.

It would be his luck that that opposing team member would be Arya. She skates a foot or two over to him and grabs him by the arm, pulling him close to her as she watches her father try to defuse the situation.

What’s happening over there he’s not sure, with blue locked on grey, all they seem to notice now is each other. He wishes he had the guts to tell her how he feels, and if maybe she felt the same it wouldn’t be as hard to find that kind of courage. But if she doesn’t, he wouldn’t dare ruin their friendship over it.

The game resumes and ends with Arya winning, and Gendry being genuinely happy for her, because when she’s happy, how can he not be?

As they’re changing from their hockey gear, Gendry pulls Jon over to the side to ask him for a favor, “Can you give me a ride into town? I want to get Arya something special for Christmas.”

He quickly catches himself at the slight eyebrow raise from her brother, “You know, as a thank you of sorts for bringing me and not leaving me alone for the holidays.”

Jon smiles and shakes his head knowingly, “Sure mate, let’s go before anyone else tags along. I need a breather.”

***

Gendry manages to find something for Arya without breaking his wallet and on the ride back to the Stark house, Jon questions him accordingly, “A thank you huh? From a jewelry store?”

Gendry just shrugs his shoulders as nonchalantly as possible, “Nothing fancy.”

“Right. And do you plan on telling her you’re in love with her when you give her this ‘not fancy’ thank you present?”

Jon keeps his eyes on the road while Gendry tries not to have a full-on panic attack, giving up on lying to Jon, he’d never believe him anyway, “Am I that obvious?”

Jon laughs, “Maybe a little, I think everyone knows except Arya. Which is stupid considering…” he trails off, but Gendry’s not letting him.

“Considering what?”

Jon release a deep breath, unsure if he should say it, but decides to anyway, “Considering she’s in love with you too.”

Yeah, that panic attack is coming any second now, “Wh-what?”

“You two are bloody ridiculous, you know that? She may call you stupid for fun, but you both are genuinely idiotic.”

“ _And they say_ I _know nothing_ ,” Jon mumbles under his breath but all Gendry can hear is his heart beating erratically in his ears.

***

Once they arrive at the house, the event staff Catelyn hired for the party is in full swing setting things up, and he’s thankful for a small distraction. If only it were that simple.

Arya runs over to greet them as they exit Jon’s car, Arya’s present tucked and wrapped safely in his coat pocket, “I just had the most epic snowball fight with Bran!”

Jon groans that he missed it, snowball fights always have been his favorite winter pastime, as he makes his way over to help a staff member struggling with some boxes.

Arya and Gendry walk silently side by side into the house, but stop short just in the archway, mouths agape.

**“Where did all of this mistletoe come from?”** Arya manages to say as her eyes trail to where Rickon is standing on a stool, hanging the twentieth plant from anywhere he can manage.

“Seriously mate, what the hell?” Gendry laughs nervously, wondering if he’ll happen to get stuck with Arya underneath one.

Fuck, they are already, unnoticed yet by Arya.

“I invited Samantha to the party tonight, I _have_ to get that kiss, Arya.” Rickon explains as if it’s the most important and most obvious statement he’s ever spoken.

Arya laughs at her little brother before looking back to Gendry, who shifts nervously on both feet.

“What is it, stupid?”

He points to the mistletoe above him, “It seems we have a tradition to uphold, my lady.”

His breath hitches when she smiles and says, “Don’t call me that,” before grabbing him by his coat and brings his face to hers for a quick, yet searing kiss that ends all too quickly.

It only lasted a second, but his lips are on fire and he wants nothing more than to pull her back and kiss her until either of them are deprived of oxygen.

Before he can open his eyes and gather a rational thought, she’s gone, the breeze of her almost running away making him shiver to his core.

He doesn’t get a chance to see her again before the party, which has just begun and he’s awkwardly pacing around the bottom of the steps waiting for her to come out from her room.

He stops his pacing when he notices her at the top of the stairs and the sight of her in her red party dress has him weak in the knees.

She smiles down at him and he has to grab the railing to balance himself.

“You look, good.”

“Thanks, so do you.”

He smiles at her shyly, “Robb let me borrow the suit, his clothes seem to fit better than Greyjoy’s.”

He has to look down at her now and he takes the chance to make sure they’re not under another mistletoe. She laughs when she realizes what he’s doing.

“Come here, I have something for you.”

He brings her over to the couch and sits down beside her as he pulls the small box out of his coat pocket.

“What is this? It’s not Christmas yet, you know.”

“It’s not a Christmas present. I couldn’t afford something for everyone here, so we’re not calling it that. It’s more of a thank you present, for letting me spend Christmas here.”

“It really looks like a Christmas present, a thank you gift isn’t- “

She’s cut off, he’s bouncing in his seat and running out of patience **, “Just open the damn present.”**

She narrows her eyes playfully at him before rolling them and removing the lid from the bow wrapped box, revealing a silver charm bracelet.

She holds it up, inspecting each charm closely. A wolf for her, a bull for him, a hockey stick, and a paintbrush, and a small coffee cup from Starbucks.

“I left room so we, uh, you could add more charms to it later.” He rubs the back of his neck, a nervous habit he’s never been able to break.

“I love it, Gendry. Thank you, really.”

She puts it on her wrist and laughs anxiously, “What is it?”

“How do I know this isn’t something you were planning on buying for Jade for Christmas?”

He laughs and shakes his head, not answering her question, which only prompts her to continue, “Why did you guys break up?”

He sighs and let’s his resolve and his fears escape his body, “Although she liked you as a person, she didn’t exactly like our friendship very much. She started to get weary of us and told me that if I wanted to be with her, I should cut back on spending time with you. She basically said I had to choose between you two, so naturally I broke up with her.”

Arya leans into his personal space, not that he minds one bit, “You broke up with her because of me?”

He swallows, eyes never leaving hers, “Aye. It wasn’t even something I had to think about. I’ll always choose you, Arya.”

He watches as her eyes fall to his lips and then back up again, and that’s all the tell he needs to close the distance and kiss her once more, mistletoes be damned.

He did what he wanted to do earlier that day, he kissed Arya Stark with everything he had, so much devotion and passion that he’s been keeping at bay for so long released like a damn breaking in a flood.

When they finally need to break apart, he rests his forehead against hers, letting his eyes close, savoring the feeling of what they’re sharing together in that exact moment. Their hearts.

He peeks over at Arya who still has her eyes closed when she says, “We’re going to need to get you your own hockey gear for next year.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I'm halfway through my drabble request list, I'm taking a short break to work on the next chapter of Beautiful Dangerous. ♥


	9. “Hey, want to help me get my parents off my ass about not having a date?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #73 from Anon on Tumblr!

Gendry watches as Arya walks into his apartment unannounced, just as she usually does. He’s come to terms with how their friendship seems to have no boundaries years ago and he’s perfectly okay with it.

He mutes the show he’s watching on Netflix and is thankful for the distraction as he was mere seconds away from falling asleep and wasting away the rest of the afternoon.

She strolls casually into the living room and sighs as she plops down in his chair, **“Hey, want to help me get my parents off my ass about not having a date?”**

He narrows his eyes at her from where she’s perched a few feet away in his recliner, her legs dangling over the side, “A date for what?”

“Um, just the biggest Christmas party of the year, the one in King’s Landing that the King throws? I don’t even want to go, but it’s expected of me to attend. I was just going to make a quick round and say hi to everyone so they can acknowledge that I was there before ditching.”

Both him and Arya were never one for big gatherings, so he gets it.

“Ahh, right. So, did you not want a date and are tired of your parent’s, _I’m betting more specifically your mother_ , nagging or you honestly couldn’t find one good enough?”

She rolls her eyes and leans back against the cushion, “I didn’t want one, but if my mother is going to insist, I’d rather go with someone I actually like.”

Gendry’s eyebrows raise involuntarily at that, prompting her to stumble over her words, “I uhhh, I just mean someone I get along with that won’t be such a dud all night, y’know?”

He hides his disappoint at her explanation well, hoping that she meant she _liked_ him, in the same way he knows he likes her. Okay, maybe it’s a little bit more than just ‘like,’ but if she doesn’t feel the same, he’d never tell her that and risk ruining their friendship. Although, if he really thinks about it, they’ve been teetering on the edge of something more for weeks now, but he could just be thinking too much into all the flirting between them.

“Yeah, sure, I’ll go. When is it again?”

She winces as if she’s bracing herself for his reaction, “Tonight.”

He sighs and shakes his head while smiling. Leave it to Arya to come knocking on his door, _figuratively_ speaking since she doesn’t actually knock anymore, last minute and ask him for a favor, as if he could really turn her down and say no.

He stands up and stops just before the chair she’s sitting in, “What’s in it for me?”

If he’s going to be helping her out, he’s going to make damn sure it’s worth his while.

She stands up, and she’s so close he can smell her perfume, the same one that intoxicates him to the full extent of the word whenever he’s this close to her. It makes his head spin and he can’t think straight.

“Well, for one, there’s an open bar.” She takes another step and he can feel the heat radiating off her small frame, “And two, I’ll be wearing an actual dress that leaves hardly anything to the imagination.”

He gulps and he swears her eyes dilate tenfold as she holds his gaze.

Fuck, he’s definitely not saying no now.

“Will there be dinner?” His voice is subtly shaky, but if she noticed, she doesn’t let it show.

“I think so, but if not, I’m sure we could find you _something_ to _eat_.”

Her response is so sultry, it sends a shiver down his spine and a surge of heat straight to his cock, making it twitch in the confines of his jeans and he thinks all the gods in the sky he didn’t decide to wear sweatpants today.

“So, are you in?”

As the words pour out of her mouth, he realizes he hasn’t given her a straight answer yet on whether or not he’ll be her date for the evening.

“I’m in.”

She smiles brightly, “Great, pick me up at seven.”

And with that, she’s gone like a thief in the night, taking every part of him with her.

_She’s going to kill me one of these days_ , he thinks to himself right before he begins panicking about what to wear to this damn party later.

***

He fiddles with his tie for the fifteenth time that night as he walks up to Arya’s door, nervous about seeing her all dressed up and worried that he won’t make a good impression on all the rich folks at the party, save for the Starks that are like his second family.

He straightens his tie for what he hopes is the last time that night as he raises a shaky hand to _knock_ on her door.

He listens closely and hears some fumbling before a muffled, but still loud enough to hear through the door, _“It’s open!”_ urging him to let himself inside.

Gendry does as he’s told and opens the unlocked door, stepping inside only to find an empty living room and no Arya. He swears he just heard her in here.

He looks at his watch and realizes he’s early and perhaps she’s just not ready yet.

He leans back against the marbled island that separates her kitchen from the open spaced dining/living room and folds his arms across his chest and turns his attention to the long hallway where he knows her bedroom is located at the end of it.

He’s looking down at his shoes when he hears the distinct sound of high heels clanking against the hardwood floor and when he looks up to find Arya walking towards him, he stops breathing altogether.

She wasn’t exaggerating about her dress leaving little to the imagination and the sight alone makes every hair on his body stand on end, sending his heart into a frenzy _. Gods, she’s beautiful_.

His mind is racing as he looks at her up and down, starting with the heels she wears, making her just a little bit taller to the dress that stops on her mid-thigh. It’s a red cocktail dress with a sweetheart neckline, and metallic laced straps that line the borders of the dress before disappearing subtly over her shoulders. Her hair is down in light waves and her smoky eye make-up makes her grey eyes even more pronounced than ever before. He can’t stop staring and when he’s able to meet her eyes with a somewhat clear head, he finds that she’s wearing the same look on her face as well. A look of pure awe and adoration for what she’s seeing, _him_.

The look she’s giving him, filled with pure lust, is almost enough to force him into closing the distance and tearing that dress from her body, but instead he finds his footing and clears his throat softly, breaking her out of her own trance.

Because he has to know what she’s thinking as she looks at him with a fierce hunger in her steel eyes, “What are you doing?”

“What do you mean, _what am I doing_?”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Clank. Clank. Clank.

Her body is pressed lightly against his, “How else am I supposed to look at you, when you’re over here looking like a fucking…” She stops talking as she trails her eyes up and down his torso, and he couldn’t be more grateful she asked him to be her date tonight. 

He waits.

She stares.

“Fuck, you are so _hot_.”

He laughs at how unsubtle she’s being, he supposes the suit he chose to wear might have been her breaking point, “You say that like you’re just now realizing it.”

He’s not being cocky, but if enough women throw themselves at you, you have to believe that you’re at least a little bit attractive.

She lays her palms flat against his chest and on instinct his hands find the curve of her hips.

“Oh, I’ve always known. But tonight…”

She roams her hands over his upper body, from his chest, down his biceps and then back again. He finds the words for her, “You want to rip this suit off and have your way with me on that table right there?”

His eyes glance at the dining room table and then back to hers, finding her smug smile.

She nods, “Is it that obvious?” She looks at his lips and then back up to meet his blue eyes.

He groans at the action, “No, but it’s what I want to do with you in this dress.”

She steps even closer to him and as if on cue, his hands help her do it, “Then what are you waiting for, Waters?”

He cocks his head to the side, “Arya, I…”

Her lips are on his before the words even fall out and she tastes so good, her mouth on his that he forgets everything but her.

He moans into her mouth and pulls her closer to his body as he deepens the kiss, letting his hands roam over her bare back, which causes his cock to twitch in his suit, straining to be released.

The feel of her body pressed against him as him pulling her back slightly, “Arya, I don’t want to fuck this up, you mean too much to me.”

If she only wants him for sex, it’ll break his heart and change their relationship irrevocably. But on the other hand, “You _won’t_ , I want this too.”

Her words are so sincere, and he can see the same love he feels reflected back in her eyes and he knows she isn’t just talking about something physical with him, no, in that moment he knows she loves him too.

And with that, all reservations he has about any of this flies out the window as he’s picking her up by her ass, letting her wrap her legs around his waist, the bottom of her dress flowing upwards as he’s walking them backwards towards the table. With a swift motion, he pushes the placemats and loose papers onto the floor and sets her down as his tongue battles hers in a frantic need of passion.

He smiles into her mouth as her hands find his belt, skipping any of his clothing above his waist, as she desperately pulls at the leather.

As she works his belt, he lifts more of her dress up to hug her hips and he groans when he sees the white lace that’s underneath.

He hooks his fingers around the fabric and drags it down her thighs and then removes it completely, leaving her bare and _wet_ for him under her dress.

“Gendry, I need you to fuck me, _right now_.”

He runs a hand along her folds just as she pulls his pants down along with his boxers, doing the same with his hard length which causes him to buck his hips into her thigh.

He can’t take anymore and by the look in her eyes, nearly black to the rim, he grabs her arm and flips her over so she’s laying face down on the table. He pulls her to the edge of the table and grabs a fist of her hair as his hand guides his cock inside of her, too invested in fucking her senseless to be gentle, and when she cries out in ecstasy he knows this is exactly the way she wants him. He’s all to happy to oblige as he thrusts frantically in and almost all the way out before he’s pumping hard once more.

He won’t last much longer, and as her walls clench around him, he senses she’s just as close as he is.

He leans down to kiss her ear before whispering softly, “Come for me, love.”

And with those words she comes hard, releasing a pent up, load moan, as he continues to rock her into the table a few more times, before he’s pulling himself out and spilling himself all over her bare ass.

That sight alone makes him come harder than he thinks he ever has before.

After their breathing slows down to a normal pace, he cleans them both up and laughs into her mouth again when she brings her lips back to his, like he’s her only source of oxygen and she might die without it.

“How imperative is it that you go to this party?” He shakes his head and smiles, blue meeting grey with so much adoration, his heart might explode.

She gives him a smug smile before she lifts her dress up over her head and tosses it across the room, standing before him in only the white lace he slid down her legs just minutes before, “What party?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have 6 more of these to go, and hopefully they'll all be out by Christmas Eve!


	10. Stuck In A Snowstorm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompts from @Valsore- “Seriously, I told you that you would get sick going out like that.”  
> and @nanarosebosom; Stuck in a snowstorm in Canon verse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First time writing canon, short, but sweet.

Gendry watches as Arya walks through the creaky front doors of the inn, her body covered in the thick white powder that’s falling like a winter madness just outside the comfort of the fireplace and the smell of the bread wafting through the room that Hot Pie has in the ovens in the kitchens. 

Her brown hair is damp with wet snowflakes, her cheeks are flushed, and her leathers are soaked with the melted ice falling from the sky, and he wishes she would have taken his advice and thrown on her furs before she chased down whatever it was that spooked their horses so fearfully. Standing there, with that look upon her face, annoyed from uncomfortableness the snow caused her, she radiates both beauty and death and he couldn’t possibly love her more. 

She joins him by the fireplace and rubs her hands together in the warmth before letting out a fit of sneezes and sniffles, using the sleeve of her tunic to wipe at her redden nose and watery grey eyes.

**“Seriously, I told you that you would get sick going out like that.”**

He smiles as she scowls, and then pouts at him, “Oh, please do _shut up_.”

He pulls her down into his lap from his chair by the fireplace and he recoils slightly at how cold her body really is, taunting is the last thing he wants to do to her at the moment.

“Bloody hells, Arya. You’re _freezing_.”

He wraps his arms around her and rubs her body quickly in an attempt to get some friction going, before pulling his large Baratheon cloak over her small frame, “This isn’t supposed to happen until the wedding, stupid.”

“Whatever you say, my lady.” He kisses her cheek sloppily making her laugh in his embrace.

“I’m not that cold, and I’m certainly not going to be falling ill. I’ve seen harsher winters than this in the North.”

A guest at the inn passes them by then, hearing the latter part of their conversation, “I don’t know about that little lady. I heard this is the worst snowstorm The Vale has ever seen; we could be stuck here for only the Gods know how long.”

And with those fleeting words of warning, the stranger disappears just as quickly, leaving Arya to roll her eyes at the seriousness of his tone.

He continues to caress her neck with his lips, not caring a bit abut the wandering eyes in the room, “Oh, know if I do fall ill and you keep doing that, you’re going to get it too.”

He smiles against her skin and she shivers at the contact, “That’s quite alright, my love. It will be well worth it.”

Gendry finds the comfort he’s longed for, for months, wrapped in her arms, but the moment is soon interrupted when Hot Pie brings the three of them stew and bread for supper and they spend the later part of the chilly evening catching up with old friends, nostalgia content and welcoming.

Hot Pie dips his bread in his bowl before speaking to the couple before him, “So you’re headed North then? To visit the Queen, your sister in _Winterfell_?”

Both Gendry and Arya snicker subtly at Hot Pie’s need to annunciate the word, as to not pronounce it wrong like he’s done in the past.

Gendry nods his head with a nervous smile, “Aye.”

“I want to tell Sansa about the wedding in person.” She looks a little sad and he watches as Hot Pie gives her a warm smile, “You miss her.”

It’s not a question, “Aye. I miss her.”

Gendry’s never had a family before, not like the one he has with Arya, his home in every sense of the word, no matter if they are in Winterfell, Storm’s End or even stuck in an inn in the middle of a blizzard, and even Hot Pie as the latter decided to join them in their journey North once the storm as passed through. He thanks whatever Gods were on his side whenever Arya came storming back into his life as the new Lord of the Stormlands, much like the way the wind blows just outside the four walls that currently surround them.

He thinks perhaps he doesn’t mind if they get stuck for a little while longer, as long as Arya is by his side, he’s safe. He’s home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Four more to go.


	11. “You’re under the mistletoe so stop stalling and just kiss."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #38 for Anon on Tumblr.

Arya navigates her way through Sansa and Marg’s Christmas party where everyone is getting sloshed by the second. If it wasn’t for Gendry sticking around, she would have left a long time ago, but something about seeing her best friend so carefree and happy, has her planted right by his side throughout the night.

He’s steady through his cups, eager to not over do it and not be able to get himself and her home later in the evening, everyone else seems to not have the same worries.

She watches as Gendry laughs during a round of beer pong out on the balcony with some people, she’s recognized in some of their classes, but not actually held a decent conversation with.

Arya leans against the pillar in the living room, a perfect vantage point for watching what’s going on outside the open door to the balcony, without being too obvious about it, but that, however, does not seem to go unnoticed by her big sister.

She jumps subtly when Sansa approaches her perch, and Arya works to keep her eyes trained on anything other than the way Gendry’s eyes crinkle when he laughs.

“So, have you gotten his Christmas present yet?”

The question catches her off guard, not because she’s talking about Gendry, but because she’s avoiding talking about Arya’s staring, “Not yet. I keep going over and over what to get him in my mind, but nothing is sticking. It’s driving me insane.”

She turns to look at her sister fully, a knowing smile plastered across the red headed beauty’s face, “I think you might be _over_ thinking it, Ar.”

Arya sighs and she continues, “You know, a Christmas present doesn’t necessarily have to be an inanimate object, it can be anything really, even just a romantic gesture or something of the like.”

Her eyes widen in shock at the words she just heard, and she stumbles to get her own words out, “I… what? Why would I… I don’t…

Sansa gives her a smirk that says, _are you really going to try to lie to me right now_ , just as Margaery comes over to join them.

“Sansa, my love? Why does your dear sister look like a reindeer caught in the headlights?”

“Because I may have let her in on that I know she’s in love with her best friend.”

Arya looks between the woman and then stands up a little straighter, “I’m not in love with Gendry, we’re just friends, that’s all.”

Marg grins and then looks at her girlfriend before looking back to Arya, “Sure you’re not, you only look at him like he hung the stars and the moon and it’s the same way I look at this one.”

She leans over and kisses Sansa’s cheek softly, “Am I that obvious?”

Sansa smiles lovingly at her younger sibling, “Only to everyone, except for Gendry.”

Arya looks back to the open door of the apartment, to find Gendry’s eyes catch hers and abandoned whatever it is he was doing in order to smile at her, attention never wavering from her grey.

“Maybe, the only thing he needs this year is you telling him how you feel, because I have the honest suspicion, he feels the same way about you, Arya.” Sansa says with the utmost care in her voice before giving her arm a light squeeze and walking away, leaving her alone once more.

She looks back to Gendry and without either of them really thinking about it, they start to move towards the other, stopping just in the open doorway, mistletoe hanging above their heads but unbeknownst to them. 

“Did you win?”

“What?” He looks a little confused and her heart flutters at the sight, as she points with the hand that holds her red solo cup to the ping-pong table set up.

He laughs, looking at his feet, “Oh uh, I don’t really know, I kinda gave up on the game when I saw you were alone over here. Thought maybe you got bored and wanted to leave.”

His eyes bore into hers and it gets to be too much because suddenly he’s looking up and then laughing loudly, and a little shyly.

“What?”

He points up and her eyes follow his finger to the mistletoe hanging just out of reach.

“Oh.” She shifts her weight and hopes and prays he can’t see the red flush in her cheeks.

In an avoidance measure for what that means for them, she begins to ramble somewhat coherently, “You know that stuff is actually poisonous for us if it were ingested, but it’s actually really important to certain insects…”

Her words trail off as he continues to stare at her and someone from the game behind them walks up to stand behind Gendry, but only speaks to Arya directing her babble, **“You’re under the mistletoe so stop stalling and just kiss,”** before walking back over to the table.

She watches as Gendry’s face turns into a light shade of pink before they’re both leaning in slowly, lips touching ever so lightly, but it’s enough to have her completely weak in the knees.

It ends far too quickly, and her mind is racing in a million directions of how fucking good it feels to finally have her lips on his. As he pulls away, she’s shaking her head and whispering ‘ _no_ ’ before pulling him back down to her level by the collar of his coat and crashing her lips against his with more force this time.

He’s shocked but responds quickly by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer to him, her feet lifting from the ground as he does so.

The kiss turns heated soon enough and she forgets for a moment, they’re surround by mostly strangers drunk at a Christmas party.

Gendry smiles into her mouth and she hears a faint, ‘ _get a room’_ somewhere behind him, most likely from the same bloke who called her out on her stalling the kiss in the first place.

Gendry gives her one last soft peck on her kiss swollen lips before he brushes a strand of hair behind her ear and rests his forehead on hers, “Do you want to get out of here?”

“Yes, please.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know these last few are a little late, but I have a lot going on so please forgive me. I will get the rest up for the end of the year, I promise.


	12. “No, we’re not getting a puppy for Christmas. Stop. Asking.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #65 prompt for @shayarbel ♥

Gendry tries to focus on the tv show playing in front of them, but Arya’s insistent need to show him everything on her social media news feed has his attention otherwise occupied and solely on the woman sprawled out on their couch, her legs resting comfortable over his.

Within the last thirty minutes of them starting the show they’ve both been waiting to see; she has shown him five memes and three shelter dogs and puppies looking for their forever home.

He can’t blame her for asking, not really, because ever since they returned from their last dinner with her family and she ran into an old friend hovering within the outskirts of the woods behind the house, she’s been talking nonstop about Nymeria and how she was so distraught when she ran away when she was a just a little girl to be with her own pack.

Ever since the first time Arya really expressed her feelings about losing her childhood friend, he’s been looking for the perfect rescue for a Christmas present for Arya. They’ve been living together for over six months now, so it’s the perfect time for the perfect present for the love of his life.

If only she would stop asking and risk ruining the surprise he’s been planning for weeks.

“Come on, Gen. Look at how cute he is, we could put a little red bow tie on him and everything!”

He sighs exhaustively, **“No, we’re not getting a puppy for Christmas. Stop. Asking.”**

Arya snatches her phone back and pouts dramatically after rolling her eyes, “Ugh, you are such a Grinch, Baratheon.”

If she wants to be mad at him, then fine. But he’s not ruining this surprise for her.

***

Christmas morning comes around and Gendry is practically busting at the seams with excitement. He made sure that he woke up well before Arya did, knowing he had to get everything prepared before she came out of the bedroom, ready to start the day.

The woman from the shelter arrives right on time with the little husky puppy they rescued just a few weeks earlier from abandonment on the side of the King’s Road, and unfortunately they never found the person who left the pup to fend for himself.

She does as she was instructed, and texts Gendry when she’s outside, as to not knock or let Arya know she’s there with the puppy, clad in a little red bow tie.

With her present wrapped under the tree and a few wrapped for the fur ball in his arms, he’s sitting cross legged with the baby snuggled in his lap, fast asleep in the comfort of one of his new owner’s loving embrace.

A few minutes later, he sees Arya’s sleepy form emerge from their bedroom down the hall, making her way towards him as she gives him a confused look, most likely due to the fact he’s sitting on the floor in front of the tree, before she looks down and sees the buddle of fluff and her hands instinctively go up to cover her mouth, to stifle a scream no doubt, tears welling in her grey eyes.

Hands still on her mouth, she slowly walks towards the two of them as the puppy starts to stir. He eyes Arya from across the room and without really thinking about it, he jumps out of Gendry’s lap and runs with all the force his little legs can manage, straight into Arya’s waiting arms.

She picks the baby up and holds him close to her chest while he whines with excitement, tailing wagging, giving her all the kisses, she can handle.

“Am I still a Grinch?” Gendry stands and makes his way over to Arya and their new husky pup.

He scratches the dog behind the ears as Arya stands on her tiptoes to kiss him properly as a thank you for her present.

“I love you.”

“I know. Now, what are we going to name this little lad?”


	13. “You. Me. Snowman. Now.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Featuring 3 prompts from @gendryafanwhore on Tumblr.

A strong arm thrown heavily over her stomach causes her to jolt upright in bed, to her sleeping husband beside her, a content smile on his face. Gendry tends to haphazardly wrap his limbs around hers in the night so it’s not completely unexpected, and she was just minutes away from waking her on her own as it is.

What she doesn’t expect, however, is the window’s light to be just that much brighter than it has been days before. She walks slowly over to the window and pulls the curtains back, a wide smile taking over her sleepy features to the outside view.

A fresh blanket of snow covers the ground outside their new house in Winterfell, the first snow of the season since they moved in just over the summer, a few months after their early spring wedding. 

Arya cannot contain her excitement as she jumps on top of Gendry, who wakes with the same force his wife did just minutes earlier, straddling his waist causing him to reflexively raises his hands to her hips as he struggles to get air.

“What the hell, Arya?” He feigns annoyance at her waking him the way she did, but his smile and laugh at her happy demeanor gives away his happiness instantly.

“It snowed last night.” She leans down to kiss his lips, peppering her lips from his to his jaw and then back again.

She sits back up suddenly, with a playful glint in her eyes she usually only reserves for him, **“You. Me. Snowman. Now.”**

She’s off him in a flash and running to their closet, grabbing all her winter clothes and accessories, leaving him laughing in the bed.

“What are you waiting for stupid, the snowman’s not going to build itself, I’m no Elsa of Arendelle,” she tells him matter-of-factly with a shrug of her shoulders as she gets dressed for their day out in the snow.

He shakes his head but complies nonetheless, “Of course, love. What was I thinking?”

***

After getting a perfect bottom for their snowman, they work in perfect synchronization for the second ball of snow, just slightly smaller than the first one they made together.

“Not too much!”

With the middle part on and ready for the last, Arya rolls a perfect ball, not paying any attention to what her husband is off doing.

Just as she gets the last remaining ball of snow atop the snowman, she feels cold powder hit the back of her head with a soft thud and a loud laugh.

She turns around as another ball of snow, this time collides with her face unexpectedly, and judging by the look of horror on Gendry’s face, he definitely was not expecting her to turn around and it meet an untimely fate.

She licks some of the ice around her mouth and glares at him through snow covered lashes, “You are so dead, Baratheon.”

His shock soon turns to a smug grin, cheeks pink and flushed from the cold, “Do your worst, _Baratheon_.”

She knows when he uses the latter of her hyphenated last name, he’s not taking any shit, and she absolutely adores it, and him.

She gathers a handful of snow as fast as she can as they dance around their uncompleted snowman, aiming for the other and neither relenting the fight for dominance, and neither hearing the weird noise emitting from their air/heat unit.

Arya hides behind the snowman, but when she peeks around and doesn’t see Gendry, she thinks maybe he’s retreating to call a truce to their impromptu snowball fight.

“Gendry?” Snowball in hand and ready to be thrown, she screams as fresh snow is suddenly stuffed inside her coat and hitting bare skin under her shirt.

She’s pulled flush against a hard body, warm breath tickling her ear, “You look cold love, do I need to warm you up?”

She shivers as his fingers trace her stomach under both her coat and shirt, the cold sensation of his fingertips warming her to the touch, and she lets out an involuntary moan, forgetting all about retaliation as she reaches her hand back to thread her fingers in his hair.

“Mhmm.”

“Well then what are you waiting for?”

She swears to all the Gods above that if they didn’t have neighbors and it wasn’t freezing cold out, she’d let him take her right then and there.

He takes her by the hand and leads her back inside, not wasting another second of time.

She’s pushed back against the front door, as they both fumble to remove each other of all the layers they’re wearing.

Once the outer clothes are off and they’re only in jeans and shirts, the give each other a confused look, Gendry saying the words she’s thinking, **“Why is it so cold?”**

As he makes his way over to the thermostat, she shivers at the now lower temperature inside the house. She follows him and reads the same thing he does, that the heat is on, but the temperature keeps decreasing.

“The unit’s out.”

She watches as he calls a maintenance person for help, and she can’t help but to bite her lip and still hope he fulfills his promise to warm her up, now that it’s needed more than ever.

“He’ll be here in an hour.”

She removes her shirt and bra and smiles when he eyes her bare chest appreciatively.

“Well then, I guess we’ll have to use our body heat to stay warm until then.”

“You just read my mind, Baratheon.” 


	14. Winter Power Outage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three prompts from Anon(s) on Tumblr.

Arya watches the heavy northern snowfall out of the airport windows in White Harbor, anxious to see if her next flight to Winterfell will be diverted, delayed, or cancelled altogether. This is not how she intended to end this year, stuck in an airport with a bunch of random strangers who were just as annoyed at the weather outside as she was.

According to the weather report playing on ninety percent of the screens around her, this is the worst snowfall White Harbor has seen in two decades.

She was supposed to arrive in Winterfell over five hours ago, to help Sansa and the others set up the New Year’s Eve party, not spend her time in a cold, mindless building where time basically doesn’t exist.

She’s always liked the freedom of airports, of walking around in whatever you wanted, society expectations be damned, to having a drink at seven am because you just spent the last twelve hours in a flying tube with annoying passengers, and deserved to be compensated for that.

Now, all she’s hoping for is a flight out to make it back home before the clock strikes midnight.

She moves slowly away from the large windows, while checking her phone for updates on the weather, flight delays, and messages from Sansa about the decorating efforts, to which she’s getting humorous play by plays to keep her in the loop.

With her eyes focused on the phone in her hands, she runs into something large and hard, and bounces back with a whispered excuse and apology of not watching where she’s going.

She looks up to meet the eyes of the person, no _man_ , she ran into and is surprised to find a familiar pair of ocean blue eyes she hasn’t seen in many years.

“Gendry?”

He scrunches his eyebrows, recognition taking longer for him than it did with her. But that’s to be expected, the last time she saw him she was just an awkward thirteen-year-old, and now she’s a woman grown of twenty-one.

“Arya? Is that really you?”

She smiles, a little embarrassed he’s probably picturing her much younger, “In the flesh.”

He gives her a genuine, bright smile and it makes her heart flutter a bit, “Wow, you look…”

He’s contemplating the right word and she can see the wheels, and perhaps and little bit of attraction, turning in his head, “Good. You look good. I haven’t seen you in so long. How have you been?”

“I’ve been better actually, just trying to make it back to Winterfell before the year is over, but my luck is shit these days.”

“Same actually, it’s funny that I ran into you here, because it otherwise would have happened later at your house. I ran into Jon not too long ago and we caught up and he invited me to the party tonight. I actually took a train, but they closed the tracks due to the snow, so they put me on a flight from here, which is obviously delayed.”

Shit, she wasn’t expecting that and damn Jon for not mentioning it to her sooner.

“So, it looks like we’re stuck here together.” She tries not to sound like she’s bummed about that, because really she isn’t, but the longer she spends standing here with him, the more the crush she had for him back in her younger days comes flooding back to the forefront of her mind, among other things.

“It seems so.” He bounces on the heels of his feet, giving her an adorable grin that she just can’t help but to mirror back at him, “Coffee?”

“Sure.” They walk over to the small café together and when he insists it’s on him, she tucks a hair away and hides the smile at how much of a gentleman he’s grown to be. Not that he wasn’t before, but when you get him together with Jon, Robb, and Theon, a bunch of sixteen-year-old boys can be quite the shitshow.

They drink their coffees at a nearby table and catch up on what the other has been doing since the last time they saw each other, and it’s only when Arya’s phone alerts her to a low battery, do they move away from the café and find a spot on the floor against a wall of power outlets.

They continue talking, and she finds it very distracting the way he not only makes her laugh, but he actually tries to make her laugh as if that’s the whole point, to make her happy and smile. She watches as his eyes wrinkle in that same way she’s always loved when he smiles so wide, his face looks like it could split into two.

Damn him and damn her growing attraction.

But she can’t help but to think this is a perfect way to end her shitty year, almost.

Her phone battery reached half the charging percentage when suddenly every light and tv goes black around them, gasps and mutters of profanities fill the quiet void of silence.

“Well, that’s reassuring.”

A back up generator kicks on enough for a few lights to power through along with the heating system, but that’s about it. Everything else is dead, including her hope to get home before midnight.

She sends one last text to her sister, updating her on her current situation and letting her know she’s powering down her phone to save what battery she has left.

They remain on the floor and another two hours of no electricity flies by while they do everything, they can to keep from going stir crazy from how fucked they are.

She looks at her watch to see the time read a quarter to midnight, “You know this is not how l planned to spend the beginning part of the new year.”

Gendry doesn’t say anything, only turns his head to give her a shy smile before an idea strikes his pretty little head.

He looks around to the other hopeless strangers around him and in an instant, he’s off his feet and gathering the random people, whispering things she’s too far away to hear.

He comes back to her and helps her to her feet, “Go wait in the bathroom and come back out in five minutes.”

She narrows her eyes skeptically at him but does as she’s told and when she comes back out exactly five minutes later, she really can’t believe what she sees.

She looks around to see the small lobby filled with airport strangers wearing headbands that read 2020, makeshift banners and decorations of whatever they had in their bags or just lying around. She walks over to Gendry who’s holding a headband out for her to take, “What’s this?”

“Well, since we couldn’t attend a party ourselves, I brought the party to us.”

He yells over the small crowd who each have various drinks in their hands, “Here’s to a new year with new friends and alternative travel arrangements in the future,” they all laugh before raising their cups and bottles and cheering loudly.

“Happy New Year, Arya.”

She takes a waiting bottle of soda from him, “Happy New Year, Gendry.”

They’re quiet, keeping their eyes on the other with shy smiles as the time ticks closer and closer to a new year, and she can’t help but to let her mind wander to how he might play a part in her new life in the next decade.

Someone nearby starts the countdown from twenty and soon the others, save for the two of them, are counting down with him.

“Ten.”

“Nine.”

They step closer to the other, blue never relenting from grey.

“Seven.”

“Six.”

He grabs her hip and her breath catches in her throat.

“Four.”

“Three.”

She glances down at his lips and she involuntarily bites her own.

“Two.”

“One.”

As cheers and exclamations of “Happy New Year” ring out around them the only thing she can concentrate on are her heart beating in her chest and her lips on his.

He kisses her back with hungry effort and she literally goes weak in the knees, but his hand on her hips tightens its grip to keep her from going anywhere but the comfort of his warm embrace for the foreseeable future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for this year. Thank you to everyone who requested and commented, I had so much fun writing these.   
> Here's to more holiday ones this year, Valentine's Day? ;)


End file.
